Percy Jackson's 16th Birthday
by StBu
Summary: Begins two weeks before Percy's 16th and things are starting to heat up, both in the war with the Titans and between Percy and Annabeth. Another day, another quest. R and R please, cheers
1. Chapter 1

IMPORTANT AUTHORS NOTE!!!! My dear little cherubs, this is a story I am writing as an extention of one of my oneshots - so if it seems familiar to you, just keep reading; i promise it will change!!!! Honest!!!

thanks and enjoy...

* * *

Percy ducked as Annabeth aimed a vicious cut at his head, bringing Riptide up to parry the potentially deadly strike. _Two can play at that game_, Percy thought grimly, and aimed a flurry of blows at Annabeth's lithe frame, forcing her to switch to the defensive and surrender some ground to him. Satisfied, Percy disengaged and created some space between himself and Annabeth, circling her warily as he caught his breath. Annabeth mirrored his movements, her cheeks flushed and sweat glistening on her skin. Percy admired the way her stormy grey eyes sparkled with adrenalin.

"Getting tired, _Seaweed Brain_?" Annabeth teased, the determination in her face suddenly mixed with a very un-Athena-like playfulness as they continued to circle, unconsciously mirroring each other's footwork exactly.

"In your dreams, _Wise Girl_" Percy shot back, a grin forming unbidden on his face.

Suddenly Annabeth was leaping forward, launching a furious offensive and forcing Percy to backpedal frantically to avoid losing a limb. Slowly but surely she pushed him back, her eyes gleaming in anticipation of her triumph. Without looking Percy knew the edge of the ring was barely a metre from his back heel.

As Annabeth drew her arm back for her conquering strike Percy's half-blood instincts took over and quick as a snake he stepped inside her guard, his hand closing vice-like around her wrist to prevent the blow before it had fully begun. His fingers found a nerve ending at the base of her thumb and she unwillingly released her grip on her sword, letting it clatter to the ground. In one swift motion he swept her legs out from underneath her, his free arm supporting her torso before she hit the ground and his sword hand changing grips so he could hold his blade against her exposed neck like a dagger. The whole combination had taken no more than 4 seconds and Percy's eyes had never left hers.

"Dead," Percy grinned, his chest heaving as his body endeavoured to supply his fatigued muscles with oxygen. Annabeth's face, no more than five inches from his own, clouded with disappointment, but her gleaming eyes betrayed her exhilaration.

"I almost had you there," she insisted, panting. Percy's smile widened in response; he removed his sword from her carotid artery, stood up and offered her his hand, which she accepted.

As the battle haze cleared from his mind he became aware of cheering and clapping. As Annabeth bent to retrieve her sword Percy grinned around at the campers who surrounded the ring, the majority of whom were showing their appreciation of the bout by whooping and applauding. Spectators from Ares cabin either sat sulking in jealousy or boasting loudly that they were much better fighters. Aphrodite's children lounged gracefully looking exquisitely bored.

Percy bowed extravagantly to his audience and Annabeth punched him in the arm. "Show off," she accused in mock disgust, but she too couldn't help but smile at her fellow campers.

Percy knew what she was thinking; it was good to see the kids in such high spirits, especially in times like these, when being a half-blood was more dangerous than ever. When they were never truly safe, not even within Camp Half-Bloods borders. These grim thoughts doused his cheerfulness and he hated them for it. The grin slid from his face and he sighed.

"Well done, both of you," Chiron congratulated them as he clopped towards them. "That was a close one. You almost had him there," he added to Annabeth, causing her to smirk at Percy.

"Next time," she promised.

The campers began to drift away from the arena and Chiron watched them leave as he said "You two should go cool down before dinner, then I'd like you to meet me in the Big House; we need to have a talk." His serious eyes returned to Percy's as he said the last, causing the familiar feeling of dread to bubble up in his stomach. Chiron held his gaze for a moment, offered him a brief reassuring smile and then turned and trotted after the campers. Percy watched him leave with blank eyes, his mind suddenly a million miles away.

It had been twenty months since their clash with Atlas and the minions of Kronos, twenty months since Zoe had died and Thalia had taken her place as Artemis' lieutenant, twenty months since Nico (who Percy now knew was the son of Hades) had run away, twenty months since Luke had fallen off the cliff, only to survive and begin to regroup his forces. These had been the hardest twenty months of Percy's life.

So much had happened in this time, so many battles fought and just barely survived, so many half-bloods lost. Monsters had attacked with greater frequency and it was no longer safe for Percy to attend school; they had tried, but after the third time Percy destroyed a school building and had subsequently been expelled, his mother decided the danger was too great. Percy had felt horrible for putting his mother through those times.

One good thing had come of it, though. Annabeth's father, fearing for her safety, had asked whether she could live with the Jackson's during the school year, since living in San Francisco was out of the question. Percy's Mum had agreed enthusiastically, and had even winked at him knowingly, which he had found _really_ embarrassing. Though Annabeth had hated it, she had agreed to leave school and since then they had been home tutored by Mrs. Jackson and Mr Blofis – or Paul, as he insisted they call him – or rather Annabeth had helped them tutor Percy because she already knew everything. It was during this time that Percy finally admitted to himself what Aphrodite had been trying to tell him; he had feelings for Annabeth other than the platonic. It had been killing him ever since.

Percy knew that Annabeth still had feelings for Luke – she refused to give up on him. Percy could feel the pain of this rip at his gut whenever he thought about it. But being Annabeth's friend was exponentially better than not being with her at all, so that's what he had done – been her friend.

Except his birthday was only a few weeks away – his sixteenth birthday, the birthday of the prophesy. Percy couldn't bear the thought that something would happen to either Annabeth or him, without her knowing how he truly felt.

Feeling a soft touch on his arm, Percy returned from his reverie to find Annabeth resting her hand on his arm, her expression concerned. They looked at each other for a few moments, and Percy took the opportunity to study her closely.

Her intelligent grey eyes sparkled with hidden emotion as she gazed up at him – he had grown and filled out this year, and now stood half a foot higher than her, forcing her to look up to meet his eyes. Her blond hair, which she had grown long, was pulled up into a messy ponytail, though some wisps had escaped to frame her tanned face. She wore her camp necklace, as always, and small wooden earring's adorned her ears. No fancy jewellery, no makeup, just Annabeth, exactly as Percy liked her.

"Let's go to the lake," she suggested, putting her sword on a seat (Percy recapped Riptide and placed it in his pocket) and snaking her arm around his waist. Percy's stomach did a back flip, even though he should have been used to things like this by now. Since Thalia had joined the hunt and Grover had been occupied with his searches for both Pan and new Half-Bloods, Percy and Annabeth had begun turning to each other for support and comfort; it was strange but for Percy Annabeth was both the most and the least comfortable person to be around. Open displays of affection like this were now as common sights as fights, and though they had at first attracted some teasing from other half-bloods and glares from certain immortal parents, everyone seemed to have accepted it. Percy both loved and hated her closeness. He draped his arm around her shoulders and let his fingers brush on her bare arm as they walked; her skin was warm and soft. He was well aware that they looked for all the world like a couple, the irony of which twisted the knife in his heart.

They walked in silence the whole way to the lake, with Percy simply enjoying Annabeth's presence. It was a beautiful day, as it always was at Camp Half-Blood, the afternoon sun warming but not too bright. The perfect day for a swim. When they reached the wharf they sat down and dangled their feet in the fresh cool water, watching for the mythical creatures that inhabited the lakes murky depths.

The silence between them wasn't heavy, but there was obviously a question hanging in the air, waiting to be asked and answered.

Annabeth sighed deeply, drawing Percy's attention to her face. Without speaking she stood up, pulled her hair tie out and arched a graceful dive into the lake, sending ripples radiating out from where her body broke the smooth surface. Percy waited and watched until her head broke the surface again about ten metres from the shore. He didn't follow her in (he wouldn't get wet anyway, and he didn't really feel like swimming at the moment), instead watching as Annabeth slowly swam back towards the wharf and pulled herself out, raking her wet hair out of her face. She shivered as the air hit her skin, smiled and held her hand out to Percy.

"Would you mind?" Percy smiled back and took her hand, willing her to be dry. The water jumped away from her skin in droplets and showered the worn wood beneath her feet, leaving Annabeth dry as a bone.

Annabeth held onto his hand, lightly tracing the lines that crisscrossed his palm. Her eyes were serious when she met his gaze once more.

"Luke will come after you." Percy winced inwardly; he hated talking about Luke with Annabeth, it always made them both mad. He gently pulled his hand away from her.

"I'll do what I have to," he replied.

Annabeth's mask broke and her face became stricken as she pleaded, "Why can't you give him a chance? He's not evil-"

"Yes he is, Annabeth! If you would put aside your obvious feelings for him for just a second then you would realise that!" Percy had his hands curled into fists, his body shaking as the feelings he had kept inside for so long boiled over and out. Annabeth hardened under his anger, just like she always did.

"I _know_ Luke, Percy! I _know_ him! This is not him! And my feelings for Luke are none of your business!!"

At these words Percy let out a bark of bitter laughter as some detached part of his mind found the black humour in his situation. "None of my business," he repeated back at Annabeth's defiant face, his tone sardonic even as his heart was breaking inside his chest. "I almost forgot." His emotions suddenly deflated, leaving him feeling bone tired and empty. He couldn't look at Annabeth anymore, couldn't hold her eyes; instead he cast around for an excuse to leave. "It's getting dark; we should go back." Without waiting for a response he turned on his heel and strode away in the direction of the Big House, the hard strength in his retreating frame masking the weakness he felt inside.

* * *

Annabeth seethed as she watched Percy's retreating form, her fists balled fiercely at her sides. She wanted to run after him, wack him – hard – and tell him that his head is full of kelp. Stupid kelp at that. But what made her even madder was that what she really wanted to do was cry, cry out all her frustrations and fears, and have him hold her. _Da__mm__it_! she swore to herself. _Some warrior I'__m __turning __out to be!__ What would Mum think – my heart ruling my __head._Even admitting this yearning made her livid and she lashed out at a wooden post in frustration. _Damn him!_

She focused on the sting in her hand and felt her anger begin to slip away; in its stead pooled the familiar feeling of aching loneliness. For most of her young life she had experienced this feeling where her family was concerned – her father, with his new wife and step-children, and her mother, the immortal Goddess of Wisdom. With their acceptance of her, Luke and Thalia had managed to dull the sting of loneliness; they had become her family. But now Thalia had joined the Hunt, becoming an immortal who lived to roam the land and serve her Goddess. And Luke… Annabeth remembered a time when she had had a girlish crush on him, with his outdoorsy good looks and cool manner. But those feeling were gone. Luke had become a brother to her, the person she could always rely on. She refused to reconcile his recent actions with the person she knew he was inside; she would save him and bring him home.

As dusk began to fall on the Camp Annabeth began the trek towards her dinner and her thoughts, as they inevitably did lately, turned to Percy.

Annabeth had trouble defining their relationship; in the space of five minutes they could be fiercely angry at each other and best friends. Sometimes he seemed to understand her more than she understood herself, while at others he was more distant to her than Athena. But when she did dare to truly plumb the depths of her feelings for Percy, her findings terrified her. Surely she was too young for emotions of this complexity?

Would she admit this to him? Could she bring herself to drop the thick armour that had protected her through all these years and place herself, utterly vulnerable, in Percy's hands? Not until she knew what he felt for her, and she wasn't about to ask.

Annabeth sighed bitterly to herself. Things would be so much easier if he wasn't such a Seaweed Brain. He just had to add to her inner turmoil with his bipolar actions, his green-eyed affection one day and cold shoulder the next. And he couldn't seem to understand her need to save Luke, no matter how many times she tried to explain it to him. He was too stubborn to listen properly.

As Annabeth climbed the steps to the stone dining pavilion she promised herself that she would tell him how she felt, before it was too late. She had to do it before his birthday.

* * *

Okie Dokie then, that's the scene set; what did you think? Not too sucky?? 

If you liked it then please review and tell me so, if you didn't then please review and tell me why; we all need constructive criticism.

If this story feels familiar to you then it's probably because you've already read part of it – I ripped the beginning off my other oneshot percabeth fic and modified it coz I didn't want to have to write a whole new story. The end result will probably be the same but this one will be longer and full of adventure, yay!

Anywho, I'll update asap and get this show on the road.

p.s I know there was a lot of 'I feel…' and 'pine-pine-pine' in this chap, but that's just to set the scene. Most other chapter will be more toned down… I think… cya!

StBu


	2. Chapter 2

Annabeth paused next to one of the marble columns that surrounded the mess hall, feeling exposed in the pool of light cast by a torch which burned in its bracket just above her head. She cast her eyes around the open space. Only two satyrs; no more than 40 half-bloods; a handful of wood nymphs and naiads. Many had been lost in the past two years. Annabeth shook her head to clear her brooding.

She looked over at Percy, sitting alone at his table. Lately, they had taken to eating together, despite the tradition of eating with your siblings. Dionysus, after he had grown weary of mocking and separating them every night, had allowed them to – a strange concession considering his open dislike for Percy (or 'Peter', rather). He did still throw the odd comment at them, though, and tonight seemed to be the night.

"Peter Johnson– tell your little _girlfriend_ to sit down so we can eat already," Mr. D drawled from his own table, his eyes twinkling maliciously in Annabeth's direction. Some campers snickered. Annabeth ignored them, instead catching Percy's eye. She quirked an eyebrow at him.

_Well?_

He looked back for a second, and then the left corner of his mouth twitched upwards, his gaze flickering towards Ares' cabin's table.

_Unless you'd rather eat with Clarisse__…_

Annabeth smirked and took her place across from him. For now, serious conversations could wait.

They followed their usual routine, laughing and joking as they ate their meal. Percy manipulated the water in his glass to form tiny droplets and sent them shooting at Clarisse. She kept swatting at her skin and looking around with confusion. They could see she was getting redder in the face, like a bull ready to charge. Other campers rolled their eyes at Annabeth and Percy, who kept snorting into their food in an attempt to stifle their laughter.

Percy shot another droplet and Clarisse roared and jumped onto her seat.

"Who's spitting at me!" she screamed. Her nostrils were flaring, her teeth were bared. She was ready to kill. She swung her head around the room, which had fallen under a stunned silence. Some campers began to laugh at her; Annabeth thought she looked completely ridiculous. A piece of slimy snot flew out of her nose and a distinct _splat!_ was heard as it came to rest on the nose of one of her siblings.

"Urgh! Yuck!" he exclaimed, grabbing for a napkin.

This was too much for Annabeth, who burst into hysterical laughter, and Percy, who almost choked on his mouthful of food. Clarisse's beady eyes swivelled towards them and her eyes narrowed as she realised who her tormentor's had been.

"Fish boy!!" she screamed and jumped off her stool to charge at Percy. "You're dead!! Im going to– _wha_-!"

Two large spheres of water smacked her in the face, like water bombs without the balloons; Percy and Annabeth's whole drinks. Clarisse skidded to a stop, wiping water from her eyes and dragging her stringy wet hair from her face.

If looks could kill.

_Now for the battle cry…_ Annabeth thought smugly, knowing exactly what Percy would do.

And Clarisse did let out a battle cry, one worthy of Ares himself; a bloodthirsty scream that could have made small children need new underwear - a young satyr rushed from the hall with flaming cheeks, holding the back of his pants gingerly.

The war cry would have been even more impressive if it hadn't ended in a startled gurgle. Clarisse's eyes swept left and right; on every table kids were exclaiming "Hey!" as their drinks floated out of their goblets and took up position in a circle around her. She glared at Percy.

"Don't you dare!"

Annabeth looked at Percy, silently egging him on.

Percy grinned.

* * *

Percy flopped down on his bed two days later, groaning as his muscles protested every tiny movement. It even hurt to breathe.

After his little dinnertime entertainment show Mr. D had meted out his justice swiftly and happily. The stables were looking dirty and worn. They need mucking, scrubbing and new paint. Percy had discovered that 'new paint' was synonymous with 'sanding and three coats', and 'Time to think about your actions' actually meant 'suffer alone'.

Mr. D was definitely not high on Percy's Favourite People list right now. Actually, he had never even made the list.

Someone knocked on his cabin door; Percy decided it would hurt too much to respond. He heard the door creaking open, then close again. Light footsteps across the floor. Then…

"Ouch!! Ow Ow OW!" Percy moaned as someone jumped up on his bed and bounced around, giggling. His body felt like someone was stabbing it repeatedly with tiny hot needles. (A/N anyone know that scene in SAW something where she gets thrown in the pit of used syringes? EWW… but I digress…)

"Hey there, Kelp Head." Annabeth stopped jumping and leaned over him, smiling happily. _Why is she so happy?_ Percy wondered suspiciously. _After what Chiron told us you would think she would be at least a little upset…_

"You're going to pay for that," Percy warned weakly, taking his mind off the pain by thinking up ways to exact his revenge. Maybe he could steal some of her architectural design blueprints. And then use them as toilet paper… or maybe have Tyson use them as toilet paper…

"Was it worth it?" Annabeth had asked him this same question every day for four days, and he always gave her the same answer. He thought about Clarisse's face as fifty-odd magical water bombs zoomed towards her.

"_Totally_ worth it."

"Good to see you haven't changed much." Percy suddenly shot upright in excitement, almost head butting Annabeth in the process, his aches suddenly forgotten. He knew that voice. He also knew why Annabeth was so happy.

"GROVER!" Percy engulfed his friend in a bear hug, almost tackling him to the floor. Glover bleated in embarrassment but squeezed Percy back just as tightly. Percy felt a sudden rush of positivity; he had one of his best friends back.

"Did you just get back? How was your quest? Any luck finding Pan yet? Did you hear about the prank I played on Clarisse; you should have seen her face! It was priceless! How-"

"Hang on, hang on; yes, not bad, a little, yes and I wish I'd been there," Grover counted his answers out on his fingers. "Now, can we talk while we walk? I need some-"

"FOOD!" Percy and Annabeth finished for him, silly grins plastered on their faces, and Grover let out his goaty laugh. For a moment they were twelve years old again.

On the way to the Big House Grover filled them in on his travels. He had left to search for Pan a year ago, and his journey had taken him around the globe. He talked excitedly about his visit to the Amazon in Brazil, the Himalayas in Nepal, the Kakadu wetlands in Australia, and the savannah plains of Africa – places of extraordinary beauty and diversity that humans hadn't yet corrupted. His face saddened as he recounted his visit to the old growth forests of Tasmania, where humans were clear felling trees that were hundreds of years old, and using them to make paper bags. He shuddered, saying, "The pain I could feel emanating from that place made me physically sick." But he had not had time to find Pan. Chiron had iris-messaged him, telling him they had run out of Keepers, that he had located a half-blood who needed to be brought in.

"That was a month ago," Grover said restlessly, but Percy couldn't tell whether this was because his search for Pan was on hold or because they were getting closer to food. "Jenna – that's the half-blood I brought in – she's pretty cool. I set her up in Cabin Eleven before I came to see you. She…" Grover glanced at Annabeth with a guarded expression. "She looks alot like you. I mean, _alot_ like you. Grey eyes, athletic, blond curly hair…"

Percy stole a glance at Annabeth, wondering how she would react to having a new sibling; she seemed fine, even enthusiastic. "How old is she?" She asked.

"Um, she looks about 17."

"17," Annabeth murmured hesitantly. If Jenna was a daughter of Athena, then she and Annabeth would have been born only a year apart. That's pretty close for a Goddess like Athena.

Percy thought Grover must have been doing his emotion-sensing thing, because he changed the subject pretty quickly. "So…" he started casually. "Enough about me. What's been happening with you two lately?"

"Well, it's my birthday in two-and-a-half weeks," Percy started – _that's a good a place as any to begin__. And now that Grover's back.._. From any other kid in any other summer camp in the country, this would have been a pretty casual statement. Happy, even.

Not for this teenager.

"Yeah. Yeah I know." Anyone would have thought he had just been to a funeral, his tone was so grave. As they walked up the steps of the Big House he scratched the back of his neck and sighed. "Have you spoken to Chiron?"

Percy's mood darkened instantly.

_Flashback_

_Percy and Annabeth __sat at a table in the Big House, waiting for Chiron.__ They had been chatting, but the conversa__tion had trailed off; Percy was starting to feel__ claustrophobic, like the room was slowly pressing __in__ on him._

_Chiron was late._

_"__Seaw__- Percy?" _

_He looked over to find Annabeth sitting uncomfortably on her chair; she didn't look at him, instead stared at her hands which fidgeted in her lap. She was obviously nervous about something._

_"We've… we've been through alot together, right?" __Still not meeting his eyes._

_"Yeah, tons," Percy agreed, where was this going?_

_"Well…" Annabeth pause__d, and finally looked up at him. Her eyes were frightened, but fiercely determined. "I think, I mean that is to say, I'm sure that I, um… I-"_

_"Sorry I'm late, Percy, Annabeth."__ Chiron hurried into the room. Actually, he rolled quickly into the room; the lower half of his centaur body was squished into a motorised wheelchair with fake human legs hanging out the front. It still amazed Percy that his bulk could fit in that tiny compartment; he imagined it would be squishy, like sardines in a can._

_"Right then," he continued, coming to rest at the head of the table they were sitting at. He seemed anxious, troubled. Percy gulped. That can't be good. "__Percy. We need to talk about your birthday."_

_"Yes, sir."_

_Chiron swallowed, like his mouth was dry. "I've spoken with Zeus and Poseidon. They have discussed __the situation at length, with the other Olympian's too." Percy didn't like the idea that God's like Ares and Dionysus were deciding his fate. "They have decided."_

_Percy sat forward eagerly in __his seat;__ finally action. This was what he had been waiting for, what he had been training for. "A quest?" he asked excitedly, his heart speeding up._

_"A quest, yes."__ Percy wanted to whoop in anticipation, but something in Chiron's manner was making him nervous. His tone was almost one of regret. _

_"What's the quest, then?" Percy was starting to become annoyed at Chiron –he was being unnecessarily dour, putting a damper on things._

_"__The God__ wish," Chiron ground the words out__ as if __they pained him, "that you go on a quest… to find the great lost God of Wild Places, Pan."_

_Stunned silence descended on the room. Percy felt like his insides were being frozen._

_Annabeth was the first to recover. _

_"But Pan's been lost for thousands of years," she spluttered unbelievingly. __"How can they expect _Percy_ to find him?!__ And now?! _His sixteenth is only weeks away_! What did they decide about that!?" Her voice got angrier and angrier as she went, her eyes filling with panic._

_Percy stayed silent, shocked__. Never in his wildest dreams had he expected this. Through his shock he studied Chiron's face, and understood something._

_"There's something else, isn't there?" He asked quietly._

_Chiron face __looked miserable, but he held Percy's gaze__. He nodded. "The God's have decreed that, should you refuse or fail your task… you must be killed." His last words were dampened by the small room, the carpeted floors, __the__ thick walls. They did not echo through the room as they were echoing through Percy's existence._

_Amazingly, Percy felt neither fear nor panic. He felt anger towards the God'__s; after all he had suffered because of them, this was how they repaid him? He would show them. A fierce determination surged through his views, infusing his body with strength and power, as if he had just stepped into the ocean. His shoulders straightened, his chin tilting defiantly._

_"How much time do I have?" _

_Chiron nodded with approval, pride shining in his eyes. "You have until your birthday."_

_End Flashback_

Hmmm… that chapter was a bit bipolar eh? Happy, sad. What will happen next? And why havn't they left the camp yet?

And how will Jenna fit into the mix…

Read on to find out more…

StBu


	3. Chapter 3

Grover stopped dead in his tracks; he was so shocked that he forgot about food.

"What!" he exclaimed. "Pan! But Percy, Satyrs have been searching for Pan for thousands of years! They're just trying to kill you and make it look fair!! There's no way… I mean…" He stopped speaking and a dark tinge crept into his cheeks. "Sorry," he muttered, looking ashamed.

Annabeth watched Percy's face closely. He was wearing a serious expression, but he didn't look like he was about to break down into a blubbering mess any time soon. That was a good sign.

"It's fine G-Man. Really. Annabeth did the same thing at first."

Annabeth looked away, slightly ashamed, but Percy stepped in between Grover and her and hooked an arm around each of them. "As long as I have you two with me, I know we can do it."

Grover's face split into a grin, and for the first time Annabeth started to realise how much older he looked; he had grown an inch or two, he didn't look as soft, and his goatee was definitely thicker. "Count me in!" Then his face clouded over. "Wait- you said you spoke to Chiron two days ago."

"Yeah," the other two chorused.

"Well why haven't you left yet?!"

"Two reasons," Percy explained, rummaging through a kitchen cupboard and tossing Grover an empty aluminium can, which he snatched out of the air and devoured in record time. "One: we were waiting for you to get back – Chiron said you wouldn't be long. Two: I consulted the oracle."

"Oh." Grover shivered; Annabeth knew that the ancient mummy scared the wits out of him. "What did… it… say?"

Percy screwed his eyes closed, trying to remember the phrases exactly, and recited:

_Four will start for__ wilder land__s__; two__ sisters new__, six feet, eight hands,_

_Seek the ancient circle tribe, for there the quest will find its guide,_

_A God once lost will be returned, to cleanse the world of filth unearned,_

_To save the mountain in the sky__, an earthly foe will have to die._

Grover chewed thoughtfully on his third aluminium can. "Four will start… circle tribe… an earthly foe… hmmm…"

Annabeth's head whirled will all the possible meanings of Percy's prophesy. "Obviously, we can't leave the camp until there are four of us; that's why we waited. We figured out the feet/hands part; that's you."

Grover looked down at his legs, covered as always in baggy jeans. Being a Satyr, his bottom half wasn't human; from the waist down he had the body of a goat. Which meant where his feet should be, he instead had hoofs. He bleated in dry amusement and shuffled in his fake-feet shoes. "More hands than feet – I get it."

Annabeth smiled; funny how sometimes you don't realise how much you missed a friend until they're back again. "The lost God is obviously Pan, and the 'mountain in the sky', that would have to be Mount Olympus. But as for the rest…" Her forehead screwed up into a frown. She had been trying to figure it out for the past two days, to no avail. If anything bugged Annabeth, it was a problem she couldn't solve. And getting chewing gum stuck to her shoes. That sucked too.

"The earthly foe," Percy said determinately, pointedly avoiding Annabeth's eyes. "I think its Luke. He's a mortal but he's important enough to be a key player in any direct offensive against Olympus." Annabeth glared at the side of his head. He had purposely kept his thoughts about this from her. _He just want__s to find an excuse to kill him_

Grover looked nervously between his two friends; obviously he had sensed the animosity in the room. But voices were suddenly carrying down the hallway, heading this way.

"The kitchen's just through here… ah! Percy. Annabeth. Just the people I wanted to see." Chiron wheeled through the door way and beckoned welcomingly to someone in the hall. "I want you to meet Jenna, the newest addition to camp half-blood. Jenna, this is Percy, son of Poseidon, and Annabeth… daughter of Athena."

It still shocked Annabeth when she first met her half-blood siblings, complete strangers with whom she shared an uncanny resemblance in both appearance and nature. This time was no different. Jenna was pretty, very pretty, her blond hair casually tumbling onto her shoulders in soft curls; something Annabeth rarely did. Her mouth, her nose, her eyebrows; it was as if a sculptor had finished a bust of Annabeth and then purposely tweaked it in different places. She was tanned, slim and athletic looking. Like all of Athena's children, her eyes were a dark stormy grey, and flickered with intelligence. Grover had been right. She did look slightly older than Annabeth, about 17.

Percy strode forward with a smile on his face and his hand outstretched.

"Hey Jenna. Nice to meet you," he said casually. Though she was obviously a little shell shocked from her new surroundings, Jenna flashed him a brilliant smile and accepted his hand.

"Nice to meet you too. Son of Poseidon?" she sounded impressed.

They had been shaking for far too long for Annabeth's liking. She had the sudden urge to stand in front of Percy.

"Don't; you'll give him a big head," Annabeth said jokingly, mustering a half-hearted smile. She shook herself mentally; _snap out of it Annabeth. __She hasn't done anything wrong_. She grinned, more genuinely this time, and shook Jenna's hand enthusiastically. She jerked her head in Percy's direction. "Not that it can get much bigger than it already is."

Jenna laughed and stared at her for a few seconds before saying, a little hesitantly, "Annabeth… Athena? Goddess of Wisdom?" She looked at Chiron with wonder in her eyes.

Annabeth sympathised. It was definitely a hard thing to wrap you head around. "Yeah. Don't worry, you'll get used to it." Suddenly something occurred to her. "Determined or undetermined?" she asked Chiron quickly.

"Undetermined," Chiron answered a little sadly. _Damn_, Annabeth thought. She knew how it felt to be ignored by an Immortal parent; she couldn't imagine what it would be like to not be claimed when your parentage was obvious. _Mum_, she prayed silently. _You got a second to claim someone?_

"Undetermined. What's that mean?" Jenna was confused. Annabeth was about to answer when Grover butted in.

"I don't mean to interrupt but… Percy, your prophesy. What was the first line again?" Percy frowned.

"_Four will start for wilder lands, two sisters new, six…" _Percy trailed off, looking from Annabeth to Jenna. "Oh." He said. The clogs fell into place in Annabeth's brain an instant later (Percy got it before Annabeth?? Weird!). She looked at Jenna, knowing that her surprise was evident on her face but not caring.

Then a silver hologram glowed to life above Jenna's head, spinning slowly. An owl. The symbol of Athena.

Jenna had been claimed.

"Well," Chiron said with satisfaction. "It seems the fourth member of the party has been found. The quest can begin."

* * *

Jenna was a little resistant to leaving straight away, which frustrated Percy. But he could understand; who wouldn't be a little put off by being thrust into a quest to find a lost Greek God when they had only just found out that the Greek God's exist? But now that everything was in place he was itching to leave, and he could tell that Grover and Annabeth felt the same, though they were being as sympathetic as they could manage. Eventually they decided to let her have a good night's sleep (in her new cabin), and set out in the morning.

Annabeth had taken Jenna under her wing, which was amusing since Jenna was, they discovered, nine months older than her. They seemed to be getting on like a house on fire; both girls had that Athenian thirst for any knowledge they could get their hands on. Jenna was actually interested in architecture as well, and they had spent the entire dinner debating the pros and cons of different historical monuments. It helped Jenna settle herself in more easily. Percy was slightly bored by this, so he chatted to Grover. He found it fantastic to be able to hang around with him again.

"So what did you do, you know, while you waited for me to get here?" Grover asked him, after finishing his third helping of big cheesy enchiladas.

"You know Mr. D; he insisted that I still had to serve out my punishment for 'bombing that Ares girl'. It was ok though, it helped keep my mind off things. And I had Blackjack for company," he added with a grin. He was distracted when the girls suddenly burst into peals of laughter; Annabeth was laughing so much she had tears in her eyes.

"And… (gasp) then- hah!- and (gasp) then he said… jellyfish!" They both burst into hysterics after that, doubling over and wiping their eyes. He had a sneaking suspicion he was currently the butt of a joke, but he seized the opportunity to study them. It was like watching twins. Except Percy knew he could never get them mixed up. He knew Annabeth too well; he knew every curve of her face, every tone of her voice, every laughter line around her eyes. To Percy, Jenna was pretty, but Annabeth was enchanting, captivating, beautiful. It wasn't fair to make comparisons.

Percy felt someone kick his ankle and his eyes zoomed out their Annabeth-inspired-tunnel-vision. Fortunately the girls hadn't noticed his dreamy-eyed stare, but someone had; Grover sat back in his seat and crossed his arms over his chest, a smile playing about his mouth. Percy had forgotten the whole empathy thing; he felt the heat rise in his face and tried to hide it by burying it in his drink.

* * *

Grover had always known Percy and Annabeth had a thing for one another. I mean, he was their best friend. It really wasn't that difficult to spot. Unless of course you happened to be Percy or Annabeth.

He had been watching them closely since he had arrived back – that is, while he wasn't too preoccupied with preparations for potentially fatal quests, listening for Pan, and eating.

The empathy link that Grover had opened when he had been engaged to the Cyclopes (shudder) was still open, and while Grover could read anyone's emotions pretty well, he could now read Percy's like a book. He was hugely excited to have Grover back; that was the surface emotion he was picking up. But underneath that, he could sense this deep upwelling of raw attraction, this passionate feeling of infatuation. Love? Yes. And it was channelled straight towards Annabeth. He probably didn't realise he was constantly feeling it, but it was always there. Sometimes it would explode to the surface, like liquid hot magma (A/N haha Austin Powers) boiling out of a volcano. So far it had happened almost ten times, and counting. What troubled Grover were the feelings of despair that ran like cold currents through these warm feelings.

Annabeth, being her mother's daughter, was more subtle, her feelings better hidden. But Grover knew her, had known her since she was seven. She was given away in the little things; her stealing glances at Percy every once in a while for no apparent reason, her obvious desire to be physically close to Percy. Her emotional aura (that's what they had called it at Satyr Secondary School) would glow red whenever Percy smiled at her. But oh! The indecision she was experiencing!

The funny thing was that they acted like a couple: constantly finding excuses to touch each other, finishing each other sentences, knowing without words what the other was saying. Percy had been rubbing at his neck all night (probably because the stable he had cleaned hadn't had a maintenance crew since… well, since forever). At one point Annabeth casually reached her hand behind his neck, massaging it nimbly and skilfully, as if she had done it a thousand times before.

This sounds exactly like one of those sappy soap opera romances his mother loved watching. If Aphrodite hadn't had a hand in the popularity of those shows then he would eat his hat – putting aside for a moment the fact that Grover, given the choice, would probably quite happily eat his hat anyway.

There was a small problem, though. Every time Percy started paying Jenna too much attention, Annabeth's atmosphere would slowly change to a sickly green colour.

Who would have thought. Annabeth Chase was jealous.

Grover groaned inwardly. If he was going to have to travel with three hormonal teenagers, then something was going to have to be done about the situation, and fast.

* * *

Thanks to anyone who reviewed this budding story; I really trying hard to get the plot off the ground quickly so hang in there! You guys are awesome!

Cheers,

StBu


	4. Chapter 4

Annabeth, Grover, Percy, Jenna, Chiron and Mr. D were gathered around a ping pong table in the camp's rec room. Breakfast had been an early affair so the quartet could be off as soon as half-humanly possible – Annabeth was just now realising that she had never seen Mr. D before 10.00 am, which, she reckoned, was a good thing. He was grumpier than usual, and much snappier. He looked as if he might turn one of the 'brats' into a squirrel and run over them in a steamroller. Everybody, including Percy (who didn't have the best track record with keeping his temper around Dionysus), avoided eye contact with him, lest they incur his sleep depraved wrath.

They had all agreed (except Mr. D, whose only contributions to the discussion were sarcastic and childish) that Percy, Annabeth, Grover and Jenna were the 'four' that the prophesy spoke of. Now they needed a destination.

"'Ancient circle tribe'," mused Grover. "That could be, like, a species of worm, or something."

Percy snorted. "How do you figure that?"

Grover turned red and said indignantly "Ringworms are circles!"

Annabeth cracked up at this. "You do know ringworm is a form of Tinea, don't you Grover? It's a _skin_ _infection_." Jenna and Percy laughed as Grover busied himself with tearing apart aluminium cans and devouring them. Annabeth heard him mutter "_You're_ a skin infection…" into his food.

"At least Grover's had an idea," Percy said glumly. "'Circle tribe'? I haven't got a clue what that could mean." Everyone frowned in concentration. Mr. D fake snored loudly.

"Um, I think I have an idea…" Annabeth and the others all looked at Jenna, who sat on her right between her and Grover. She seemed a little put off by suddenly being the sole recipient of the room's undivided attention, and a rosy tinge crept into her complexion. For some reason she kept her eyes focused on Percy, who was sitting opposite her. _Well_, Annabeth reasoned, suddenly feeling slightly put out; _it is his quest…_

Jenna continued slowly. "The circle, that's probably a metaphor, right? So it could mean a lot of things; the sun, eternity, love… But I was thinking; the circle it also a symbol for the female power, and, well, if we're looking for an ancient female tribe…"

"The Amazon's," Percy breathed excitedly.

Jenna smiled at him and nodded, obviously glad no one had laughed at her. Annabeth restrained herself from waving a hand between them.

Chiron chuckled in amazement. "The Amazon's; ancient worshippers of Artemis, Goddess of the Hunt. An 'ancient circle tribe' – very insightful, Jenna." Everyone except two people burst into exited conversation, throwing in everything they had ever learnt or heard or imagined about the Amazons. Mr. D was too busy looking through a wine catalogue. Annabeth was too busy berating herself for not thinking of that - it was so simple!

She had always been the intellectual one of the gang, the riddle solver. She was Wise Girl. Would there be room for two of her on this quest?

Only time could tell.

* * *

Jenna was pleased she had been able to contribute something useful to the conversation – I mean, this was her first quest prep meeting, for God's sake (_the_ God's sake, she mentally corrected herself - that would take more than a hop and a skip to get used to). 

She looked back on the past few weeks as a blur of one impossible event after the other. When Grover had first found her and explained that she was in danger, she did what any normal person would do. She kicked him in the crotch and ran. Of course, when she finally accepted that she wasn't, in fact, a normal person, she had apologised for the kick.

She sighed as thoughts and images chased each other around in a whirlwind in her head: Grover's shaggy legs and cloven hoofs; the long journey to Camp-Half blood; the pulsing grey owl with which Athena had announced her heritage; the faces of her new siblings, her new family; Percy and his quest to find this lost God, this Pan… While on their expedition to camp, she and Grover had become fast friends. She had shared with him parts of her past, the strange parts, things that made perfect sense when the Ancient Greek myths were added to the equation. Grover was a great guy with a big heart. He had talked about his best friends constantly while they travelled, reliving old stories of heroism and fun; he had obviously missed Percy and Annabeth massively. He had also mentioned another girl; Thalia, Jenna remembered. She had been turned into a tree, healed and was now a Huntress of Artemis, an Eternal Maiden. Quite an exciting life for a sixteen year old. And the guy that Grover didn't like to talk about, the one that made his face cloud over. Luke. Who was this mysterious shadow figure?

Annabeth was like the sister Jenna never had but had always wished for. They had hit it off like a house on fire. And she hadn't spoken to Percy much yet but he must be a pretty awesome hero and a good person to have done all the things that Grover had told her about. Funny that Grover had never mentioned they were an item though…

She forced her attention back to her new friends around the blue ping pong table. Chiron was talking about where they would find the Amazon's.

"The Amazon's have always existed where the West exists; they have to in order to continue their worship of Artemis, their patron. They seek to maintain the superiority of the female in largely patriarchal society – which the West has always been," he explained to the group at large. "Also, like many figures in Greek mythology, they have changed slightly through the centuries, but are still similar in nature to their ancestors; fierce warriors and independent of men."

"So where are they now?"

Chiron smiled, like it should be obvious, but his eyes were worried. "The only tribe in existence today live in San Francisco – the Gay Capital of the U.S."

Jenna smiled; she had visited San Francisco with her father when she was young. She had fond memories of the steep streets, the old fashioned tram's and the fluttering rainbow flags.

So why did everyone else at the table suddenly feel the need to start muttering darkly in what she realised was ancient Greek (why the hell can I understand that!?) and thump their heads against the dyed wood? What was in San Francisco that worried them so much?

* * *

Just a little thing called the Mountain of Despair!!!!! Hehe that chapter was a little short, sorry about that. 

If you spot anything that seems a bit off let me know; I thrive on con-crit. Like if you think im not staying true to Riordans characters, let me know because that's what I'm aiming for.

Anyway, I'll update asap, as usual. Also, I'm just writing a second oneshot which I will add to first one, entitled Kiss and Make Up. Just the beginning of many, hopefully.

Cheers,

StBu


	5. Chapter 5

Percy, Grover and Annabeth played around as they made their way towards the stables, packs slung over their shoulders. Jenna trailed along behind them, walking with Chiron and listening as he gave her last minute handy facts: how to iris-message, how celestial bronze weapons wouldn't harm mortals, how monsters never really died and usually turned up when, metaphorically speaking (and once literally speaking, but we won't go there), you had your pants down.

Annabeth's blood was surging in her veins, her senses alive with the excitement of setting out despite the dark shadow of the God's death-threat hanging over their heads. This was what she trained for, what she lived for. Laughing with her best friends on this sunny morning it seemed impossible that they could fail.

She had packed light. One spare change of clothes, first aid supplies, a bit of dry food, a few golden drachmas and some U.S currency; pretty much the same as the other's packs except for two pocket books about architecture – she couldn't be expected to go the entire quest without reading something. She had her usual weapon, a wicked looking bronze knife, and her Yankees cap of invisibility was tucked into her back pocket.

When they reached the stables a jet black horse whinnied in greeting and trotted over to nuzzle Percy's hand; sleek feathery wings were folded across its back like a bird.

Percy laughed and spoke to the Pegasus: "I glad you appreciate all the work I put in, Blackjack." This would have seemed weird if Annabeth didn't know that Percy could communicate with equines; after all, his father Poseidon had created them from the crest of a wave. She assumed they were talking about the stables; she had to agree that they did look much shinier than before.

"The river, huh? I'll remember that next time," Percy laughed (A/N FYI cleaning out a filthy stable was one of the Labours of Heracles; he did it by diverting a river through it). "Listen, we have to get to Frisco; would you mind giving us a ride?" Blackjack snorted and tossed his mane as if to say "piece of cake". Three more Pegasi trotted out of their stalls and went to stand in front of each traveller, sniffing and nuzzling their hands in greeting. Annabeth looked over to see Jenna staring at her chocolate mount with wide eyed reverence, reaching her hand out to gently stroking the side of its face.

Percy introduced each animal. There was Blackjack (who would of course be carrying Percy), and Porkpie and Guido, both pure white stallions, who would be carrying Grover and Annabeth. Jenna's chocolate mare was named Lily. Percy winked playfully at Blackjack when he introduced Lily; Blackjack bared his teeth in Percy's face in reply, but if a black horse, or any colour horse for that matter, can blush then Annabeth could have sworn he did.

They mounted up. Percy and Annabeth both managed with ease. It took Jenna longer but she eventually pulled herself up and sat slightly rigidly, like she was wishing for a saddle. Grover had to wait for Chiron to lift him on Porkpie's back – his cheeks burned and he shot a quick "Shutup!" at the others.

"Well," said Chiron. Such a simple word, but one that managed to convey so much meaning. It was times like these when Annabeth was reminded just how old Chiron really was. It struck her that he must have seen an innumerable number of heroes off on their quests. The thought was strangely comforting. "Good luck, all of you. May the God's watch over you."

Annabeth exchanged a glance with Percy and knew he was thinking the same thing as she was._ Let's hope all they do is watch._

Percy bent low over Blackjack's neck and whispered into his ear. The winged horse whinnied in response and suddenly reared back on his hind legs. Percy laughed and clung to his mane to avoid being thrown – _show off_, Annabeth thought, but couldn't help grinning. And then they were off across the field, quickly accelerating from a canter to a fully fledged gallop. The other Pegasi followed Blackjack's lead, minus the rearing stunt, for which Annabeth was extremely grateful. As the sleek steeds reached their peak speed they spread their wings, and with one powerful leap they parted company with the ground.

They gained altitude and the ride became smoother, and Annabeth sat up straighter, her hands slowly letting go of Guido's mane. She held her arms wide as if she were Rose standing on the rail of the Titanic. She loved the feeling of freedom and the sound of the wind whipping past her ears. She glanced over to see Percy imitating her movements; he caught her eye and stuck his tongue out playfully. Looking behind her she discovered Jenna hunched over Lily's neck and gripping her mane for dear life. But she was smiling and when she saw Annabeth looking her grin widened.

The group glided gently to the right to make a pass over Chiron and the camp. He stood proudly with his bow held high in salute, just like he had on Percy's first quest all those years ago. So much had changed since then. As they swooped over his head Annabeth distinctly heard him shout "Stay in touch!" and then he was left behind.

They flew over the camp, her home for so many years. It looked so different from the air. The cabins, the lake, the mess hall, Big House; they all shrunk in size until they seemed distant and insignificant.

The quest had begun.

* * *

For the first time in weeks Percy felt almost completely relaxed. Riding Blackjack always lifted his spirits and made his blood rush with a fierce feeling of liberation. Being the Son of the Sea God, this was really the only chance that Percy ever had to fly; being in an airplane was just stupidity. But experience had shown Pegasi to be neutral ground.

He couldn't believe that he had to cross the country _again_. I mean, wouldn't it be easier if camp, Mount Olympus, the Underworld and Mount Othrys were all in the same state?

Percy gulped. Probably not.

They had been flying for a couple of hours already and Percy's bum was starting to go numb. He tried wiggling it and changing position but just got more comments from Blackjack for his efforts.

_Getting a bit sore back there, boss?_ he asked for the tenth time.

"Just some pins and needles," Percy said loudly to he heard over the wind. "How are you and the others doing?"

_No sweat, boss! We caught a good easterly __wind; we're barely breaking a sweat. You know_, he added slyly, _you could stand up and stretch your legs a bit. That would impress th__e ladies over__ there._ He nodded his head in Lily and Jenna's direction.

"Why would you think I want to impress Jenna?" Percy asked with curiosity.

_I was actually talking about Annabeth_, Blackjack hinted teasingly.

_Great_, Percy groaned. Even his horse could tell how he felt about Annabeth. That couldn't be a good sign. He flicked Blackjack warningly in the ear.

_Fine_, Blackjack grumbled. _But where are we breaking__ anyway. I sure could use a glazed doughnut or two…_

Percy glanced at the ground that sped past far below them. He knew they were travelling faster than they should by rights be able to; magical creatures tended to cover distances strangely. Below him he could see field after field of some kind of crop; _probably corn_, he thought glumly. _I hate corn._ On the horizon he could just make out a black smudge.

"Where are we?"

_Ohio, "The heart of it all";_ Blackjack let out a whinny of laughter. _If this is the heart of the West then I'm a dodo. That blur on the horizon is Indy._

Percy waved over at Annabeth and mimed eating food. Grover almost fell off Porkpie in his attempts to show that he concurred. Annabeth shrugged her shoulders.

_Where?_

Percy scanned the ground again. The fields were interspersed with small corpses of more substantial vegetation. They could get some shade under the trees at the edge of one of those. He pointed and waited for Annabeth's nod; after all, she was smarter than him. Percy directed the Pegasi to land at the nearest one and they glided down low for their landing, their hooves skimming through some poor farmer's crop like it was the surface of a lake.

I _was_ corn.

The landing was smooth and gentle and the Pegasi trotted under the dappled shade of a large oak tree before they paused to let their riders dismount. Percy and Annabeth had spent alot of time flying with the Pegasi over the past year, so they weren't as sore as Grover and Jenna, who both winced as they tumbled from their Pegasus' back. They walked around gingerly for a few minutes.

"I've ridden horses before, but never bareback," Jenna remarked, wincing. "And never ones with wings," she added with a grin. "That was awesome!"

The Pegasi ambled off to graze on some Bluegrass while everyone with two legs found somewhere to relax and chew on their muesli bars. They chatted about random topics; Grover's goatee, Pan, corn crop circles… After a while Annabeth stood up and gestured to Jenna.

"Get your knife out," she told her as she pulled her own. "I'm going to teach you how to fight." Jenna didn't look too happy about that, and Annabeth must have mistaken her expression for one of muscle pain. "Come on; more movement now means less pain tomorrow, trust me," she insisted. Jenna still looked uncertain to Percy but she stood up and pulled out her knife anyway. She held it awkwardly.

"It feels… wrong," Jenna frowned at the bronze blade.

"Maybe it's the wrong length or weight. But it's all we have for now so it'll have to do." She appraised Jenna's uncomfortable grip and awkward stance. "Right. First things first." For the next twenty minutes Percy watched as Annabeth showed Jenna how to grip the blade and balance her weight in the different stances and take her through some basic drills. By the end of it Jenna had a shiny layer of sweat covering her skin and her breathing had quickened. Percy was surprised at how unfit she was, considering her athletic appearance. But she had grasped the techniques quickly and was nimble with her movements, and Percy could see the light of fighting playing in her eyes. She would be an excellent swordswoman one day, he decided. Annabeth had not even broken a sweat, despite the shimmering late morning sun.

Grover sat under a smaller oak and played his pipes softly. Plants around him glowed with life, their flowers opening to create a rainbow of colours. Jenna walked off to pat the Pegasi. Annabeth joined Percy against the oaks thick trunk and pulled out one of her books to read. Percy glanced at it over her shoulder. The book was written in English; basically hell for a dyslexic demigod. He was always amazed that Annabeth could concentrate on reading anything for so long – like all other half-bloods, she had ADHD. It was what kept them alive in a fight. But it wasn't exactly conducive with good grades.

"I have another one, if you want something to read," Annabeth teased without looking up, the corner of her mouth twitching up. Percy knew that she knew that he couldn't care less about structural supports and curve equations. She was just teasing him. He decided to surprise her.

"Thanks, that would be good," he said, smiling pleasantly at her, like he accepted boring books from people every day. She frowned and glanced at him in surprise, her mouth forming a little 'o'. Percy fought to keep his face straight. Then she grinned and elbowed him in the ribs.

"Suit yourself, Seaweed Brain." She reached over and pulled another book from her pack, chucked it at his head and then returned to her own. Percy caught it and looked it over. There were pictures of Ancient Greek statues and marble columns on the front; the cover was worn and the pages stained and dog-eared. It was clearly very old.

He opened the cover and grinned; apparently Annabeth did lose concentration after all. The whole page was filled with doodling pictures; monsters, vines, weapons – not your average teenage girls diary. Then he caught sight of something and he smile died from his face.

In the bottom left hand corner there was a heart drawn in, with vines and flowers radiating outwards from it. There were four words written in the heart.

_Annabeth Hearts Luke Forever_

Percy stared at the words and cold tendrils, like the vines on the page, crept into his chest and wrapped themselves around his heart, thorny and constricting.

Suddenly Annabeth snatched the book away from him; she had obviously seen him looking at the words. She shoved it back in her bag, turning her back to him for a few seconds. When she turned back her cheeks were red and she couldn't look him in the eye.

"I, um… I wrote that ages ago…" she said lamely, trying to sound dismissive. But Percy could see through it. He mustered up a half smile.

"Yeah, sure." He hadn't meant for it to sound sarcastic. He stood up, dusted off his clothes and slung his pack over his shoulder. "We're wasting time; I'll go get the others." And he walked away, leaving Annabeth by herself under the sighing oak tree.

* * *

So sad….

Don't worry, ill get to the action very very very soon…. Read on – and don't forget to review!

Cheers,

StBu


	6. Chapter 6

Annabeth thumped the back of her head on the tree trunk in frustration. _Why did I give him that book?! _she thought miserably. _Stupid!_

She hadn't lied. It had been years and years since she had last read that particular book; before she had met Percy. She had written the words then, when Luke was still around and not under the spell of Kronos. But Percy couldn't have known that.

Annabeth didn't realise Grover had stopped playing his pipes until he was kneeling in front of her. She could see the sympathy in his eyes; she realised that she had forgotten he was empathic.

"You should tell him," Grover reached out and gripped her shoulder comfortingly as he said these words.

"I… I will, I just…" Annabeth's gaze focused over Grover's shoulder, where Percy and Jenna were talking and laughing with the Pegasi. She closed her eyes. "Who am I kidding? He doesn't care about me like I-… like that…"

"Give him a chance," Grover urged her gently. "You might be surprised." And then he stood up and went to retrieve his pack.

Annabeth sighed and went to join the others.

* * *

The Pegasi didn't have much room for a run up so taking off wasn't as easy this time, but they managed anyway. Soon they had left their impromptu picnic sight far behind, heading towards the smudge of Indianapolis in the distance.

With the sun shining on his back and the wind streaming past his face Percy couldn't help but feel optimistic. They were making brilliant time; at this rate they would already be in San Francisco by tomorrow afternoon. And they hadn't run into anything supernatural yet. This was a personal best.

Then a shadow fell across the sun. Percy suddenly felt the chill of the wind on his skin. He looked up. There were dark thunder clouds forming above them, swirling and churning as they spread across the sky. It could just be a freak storm. Percy doubted it. _Should have touched wood_, he thought, and cursed in Ancient Greek.

In under a minute the first raindrops hit Percy's skin. They were cold and fat and stung where they struck. He heard the others yell in confusion and could feel the fear coming from the horses. Annabeth called his name and he looked at her; her eyes were wide with alarm.

"We've got to land!," she shouted, her voice almost drowned out as lightening flashed – it struck so close that thunder shook in their ear's almost instantly. The rain fell harder until it was almost like a vertical sheet of water smacking into them, pushing them down.

_Boss, we can't keep flying in this kind of weather_! Blackjack was trying to keep the panic out of his thoughts.

Percy focused his concentration on the water around his friends, trying to dull its unrelenting downward push. Then he squinted towards the ground, looking for a safe place for the Pegasi to land. Corn, corn, trees, corn. He was just about to decide they would have to risk a kernel landing when he caught sight of a dark line curving through the sea of yellow and green. A road!

"There!" he yelled in Blackjack's ear over the pounding of the rain and the booming of the thunder. Blackjack made a dive for the dark tar, fighting to keep stable as sudden gusts of wind buffeted them like paper airplanes. Percy was pushed flat against his neck, both by the force of the rain and in an attempt to stay a streamlined as possible. He couldn't see if the other Pegasi were following and hoped to the God's that his friends were okay. The ground seemed to be coming towards them too fast, its blackness rushing towards them like deaths embrace. But at the last moment Blackjack spread his wings like sails and virtually halted their decent, his back hooves striking the ground a moment later.

Percy tumbled from his back, landing on his shoulder with a grunt and rolling to his back. He scrambled to his feet and caste around for the other Pegasi, ignoring the searing pain in his shoulder joint.

For a few terror-filled moments it seemed as though they hadn't followed. Then two white blurs surged past him and touched down a few metres away, their riders scrambling to the ground before the horses had fully stopped moving. A third darker horse narrowly avoided barrelling straight into Percy, its hooves flailing in the air inches from his face before it too was safely landed.

The rain stopped as suddenly as it had begun. Sunlight peaked through the clouds like irony itself, washing warmly over the bedraggled companions. Percy breathed heavily as he surveyed his friends; they were wet and panting and were white as ghosts (and Percy had seen his fair share of ghosts), but they were alive.

Annabeth swore viciously in Greek and kicked the ground. "A warning from Zeus!" she exclaimed angrily.

"Apparently the Lord of the Sky doesn't want us travelling too fast," Grover panted uneasily.

Percy's heart sunk in his chest; _so this is how it's going to be._ He turned to Jenna, who had yet to make a sound. "Are you alright?" She was shaking and it looked like she had tears in her eyes. She nodded mutely, sat down and put her head in her hands. Annabeth walked over and put an arm around her shoulders.

Percy turned towards the Pegasi, who were standing in a group too his right. They were nuzzling and rubbing against each other as if they were making sure each was alright. "I'm sorry about that; it was my fault. Are you all okay?" He stroked the nose of each one in turn, and they spoke into his mind to say they were fine. He could tell they were shaken up.

"Um, it's probably safer for everyone if we go on foot from here. Zeus has made it pretty clear we won't be flying." He sighed in frustration. "Thank's for your help."

Blackjack grudgingly agreed. _You ever need a lift, you let me know, boss. You'd__ be surprised__ how fast we can cross the continent when we need to._ Percy knew he wasn't just boasting, and felt better for the knowledge.

The Pegasi whinnied their goodbyes to their companions and then leapt into the air with powerful beats of their wings. Percy, Annabeth, Jenna and Grover watched them until they were only specks against the skyline.

Percy turned to his friends. That's when his brain registered that his shoulder joint was burning and he couldn't move his arm. It hung loosely and painfully beside his side.

"Um, guys? I think my arm it dislocated."

Annabeth strode over with concern written on her face. Percy let her gently probe around the joint with her fingers; she had taken an Advanced First Aid coarse a few months back. She nodded.

"Do you know how to re-locate it?"

She hesitated. "In theory."

"Good enough for me."

"Sit down." Annabeth looked slightly nervous as she swung her pack to the ground and started rummaging through it. She pulled out her first aid kit and one of her books – the one with her heart in the front cover. Out of the kit came a dry cool pack, a sling and some squares of ambrosia. Annabeth cracked the cool pack to activate the crystals inside and placed it on the ground at the ready. She used her bronze knife to cut away his shirt and Percy winced – _serves me right for taking my favourite shirt on a quest._

"I don't have a general anaesthetic, so this will have to do." She handed the book to Percy.

"Um… I get it - reading about architecture will bore me unconscious, right?" he joked. Annabeth shoved the book into his mouth.

"Bite down," she said. Then she added with an evil smile: "I'm going to enjoy this."

Percy didn't like the sound of that. His stomach dropped out as she carefully gripped his upper arm and elbow. She frowned with concentration as she slowly moved his arm around to a different position; the pain was so enormous Percy started seeing blackness at the edges of his vision. Then he felt his bone slide back into the joint with a sickening _pop_It was like the fluids in his shoulder had suddenly become pools of burning acid. He hissed around the book in pain. But he knew he could use his arm again, and in a fight arms were pretty useful things to have.

Annabeth expertly immobilised his arm in a triangle sling. Percy spat the book out into his good hand and held it out to her; it had teeth marks on it and was covered in a layer of spittle. "Sorry," he said apologetically. She looked at it for a few seconds and then fixed him with a serious stare. After a few moments she took the book by the corner and threw it into the corn field they were next to. Percy looked at her like she was crazy (Did Annabeth just throw a book away? But that means the world is about to end!!! Run for your lives!!!).

"It was old," she said simply. Percy didn't know what that meant but couldn't help the smile that slid onto his face. It grew even wider when Annabeth grinned back.

Annabeth gave him an ambrosia square and he ate it hungrily; it tasted like his Mum's choc chip cookies, straight from the oven, just like always. His shoulder started feeling better instantly, the pain receding to a dull ache. She handed him the ice pack. "20 minutes on, 20 minutes off."

"What are we going to do now?" Jenna looked and sounded completely disheartened after their little stormy experience. She was shivering despite the sunshine and her eyes were red. Percy realised that he had forgotten his friends were still soaking wet while he was dry as a bone. He dried them one by one – Jenna was amazed that he could do something so cool. It seemed to lift her spirits a little.

"We start walking, and try to hitch a ride," he said decisively.

* * *

"Why did they bother sealing this road if no one ever uses it?" Grover grumbled three-quarters-of-an-hour later. Annabeth would have been sympathetic – she knew that it was hard for him to walk long distances in his fake shoes – except he was acting like the annoying kid who sits in the back seat of a car and asks "Are we there yet?" every three seconds. Her patience was definitely running thin. It didn't help that everything around them looked the same as it had ten minutes ago: corn, gravel, tar.

They had passed a trickling stream spanned by an old wooden bridge a while back and Percy had stood in the water for a minute or two. Off came the sling and he said his arm felt as good as new – but Annabeth would make him ice it again that night, just to be sure.

They trudged along the side of the road in the direction of the city, although it wouldn't have mattered if they were walking in the middle; there was no traffic anyway. Jenna and Grover were starting to drag their feet. Annabeth wondered what the time was.

"It's almost 1:30," Percy offered the group randomly, as if he was reading her mind.

They had been walking in silence for a few more minutes when a faint whirring noise came to Annabeth's ears. It was growing louder by the second. She stopped and swung around hopefully. There was a black dot coming down the road. It slowly solidified until she was sure it was a farm truck.

"Look!" she told the other's excitedly. "A car!" Everyone turned and smiles broke out all round.

The whirring noise slowly changed into the chugging of a diesel engine as the truck got closer. It was old, red and extremely dirty, one of those cars that you couldn't walk past without writing 'wash me' on. It looked like there were sacks stacked up on the tray.

Annabeth walked to the edge of the road and held her thumb out in the universal symbol for 'pull over and let me in'. The truck kept going and for a second she thought it was going to just drive straight past, but it pulled over about ten metres in front of them, brake lights glowing dusty red. They hurried to the passenger window and looked in; the driver looked like he was in his mid-forties, he worn a dirty flannelette shirt rolled up to the elbows and even dirtier denim jeans, and his skin looked like old leather from years spent in the sun. Country-western was playing softly on the tinny car speakers. He grinned at them – he didn't look like a monster, but you could never be sure. Annabeth looked at Grover (Satyrs can smell monsters). He gave her two thumbs-up.

When the man spoke it was with a deep southern accent, which was strange in these parts. "You kids need a lift?"

* * *

Thanks to everyone who reviewed! Please keep it up!

StBu


	7. Chapter 7

Percy road shotgun in the truck's cab while Grover, Annabeth and Jenna made themselves comfortable on the sacks of fertiliser on the tray. He didn't know which was be worse; sitting on something that you knew came out of the rear end of another animal, or having to listen to banjos while a farmer told you his life story (A/N no offence to any farmers who may be reading this story…).

Percy did feel kind of bad; Stu – that what he said his name was – had given them, a group of highly suspicious looking (or so Percy had been told before) kids, a lift out of the kindness of his heart. No questions asked. The least Percy could do in return was listen to the guy talk about his family. His very large, very boring family.

At least they were moving quickly. In fact, Stu was speeding along the deserted road so fast that Percy was worried his friends would end up flying off the back if they hit a bump.

Stu was in the middle of telling Percy about the time an alligator had gotten in the house and his grandmother had strangled it with a set of Rosary Beads (Percy had to admit, _that_ story was interesting) when he trailed off and frowned at the road ahead.

"What do we got here?" The truck slowed to a halt and Stu applied the break and got out, scratching his head in confusion. Lying across the road was a massive tree branch. The only thing is, there were no trees in sight. Weird.

"This wern't here when I come through 'smornin," Stu said, dumbfounded. "Uh, towns just a few minutes from here; maybe we can squeeze round it."

And they probably would have fit too, if at that moment a huge ugly giant hadn't risen out of the crops on the side of the road and bellowed a challenge as it lumbered towards them, brandishing a massive hardwood club tipped with wicked looked bronze spikes. Percy wasn't sure what Stu saw, but he took one look at the thing and ran screaming in the opposite direction screaming for his mum (Percy remembered her name was Lois and apparently she made a mean turkey sandwich– not that that was of particular importance at the moment).

Percy fumbled with his seat belt and jumped out of the car just as the others reached his door. Annabeth and Jenna both had their knives out, though Jenna looked less than ready to use hers. She kept glancing around like she was looking for some place to hide – which was probably a sensible idea.

"That's Periphetes the Clubman!" Annabeth said quickly. "Um, I think Theseus fought him."

"Never mind the who, how did they kill him?!" But Annabeth didn't have time to reply because Periphetes was shambling towards them alarmingly fast, his giant mouth grinning wide. Percy could see what must have been the remains of the monsters last meal rotting in between his teeth – _why did monsters never floss?_

"Scatter!" Percy yelled as uncapped Riptide. They just managed to dive away before Periphetes lumbered to a halt in front of the truck.

"HE HE HE!" he laughed gleefully as he swung his club in a mightily arc above his head, bringing it crashing down on the cars bonnet. The diesel engine spluttered to a halt and started smoking dangerously. "Peri find tasty halfies! Peri have good dinner! HE HE HE!"

They spread out around the giant, Grover staying with Jenna to try and help her out. Percy lunged in and slashed at the monsters calf. He roared in anger and turned faster than Percy had thought possible; the club smashed into the ground where Percy had been less than a second before. He backed away quickly and the giant lumbered after him, bellowing incoherently (it didn't really matter what he was saying anyway; his tone was pretty self-explanatory).

Percy realised too late that he was backing straight into the huge branch across the road; he had cut off his own retreat. Only quick action from Annabeth saved him from being pulverised on the spot.

"Hey, Ugly!" she screamed and darted in to stab her bronze knife through his big toe. He howled with pain and backhanded her viciously, sending her flying into the corn field – Percy let out a cry ("NOOO!") and kicked the giant between his filthy three-quarter-cut-off-clad legs. The giant grunted and looked down at him in surprise; apparently monsters didn't have the same sensitive areas as humans. _Memo to self…_

Periphetes giggled manically and reached down with one hand to grab Percy around the neck. Suddenly vines shot past Percy's ears to wrap themselves around the giant's club-like arms, binding them to his body like living ropes – Grover, furiously belting out a tune on his reed pipes, was making them grow from the fallen branch. Periphetes growled in anger and started ripping at the thick green tendrils, dropping his club in the process.

"Percy! The club!" Percy heard Jenna scream at him. "Hit him on the head with the club!"

Percy didn't waste a second. He dived for the huge weapon and grasped it in his hands – or at least he tried to. He could barely lift one end off the ground, let alone swing it at a giant three times his height!

"I can't – it's too heavy!" he yelled back. He yelped and jumped out of the way as Periphetes swayed dangerously and almost fell on top of him. An idea popped into him head.

"Grover! Let him go, but trip him when I say so!" Percy started dragging the huge club around the tree; he had to get it to the other side. But it was taking too long. Without Grover's music Periphetes was making short work of his green bindings. Any second he would spot Percy, and then it would all be over.

"YO PIG FACE!" Jenna screamed as she ran from where she had stood with Grover to stand in front of the giant. "You're so ugly you could make onions cry!" she taunted him, brandishing her sword confidently. Percy doubled his efforts at getting the club into position.

For a second Periphetes face screwed up into a frown; he actually looked genuinely hurt, the poor dear. Then he bellowed "I eat you first!" and thumped towards Jenna with his huge hands outstretched to grab her and rip her to pieces. But Jenna dodged through his arms and rolled under his legs, managing to slash as the inside of his ankle with her knife as she surged to her feet and ran towards the tree. She climbed up onto it and looked down at Percy.

"Almost ready?" she asked him breathlessly. He nodded and stood facing the tree about four metres from it, the clubs handle still clutched in his hands.

Periphetes had turned around and roared as he saw Jenna standing there on the tree. She stuck her tongue out at him. Like a bull seeing red, he charged. At the last moment Jenna leaped to the side and Percy yelled "NOW!" Quick as lightening green ropes shot out and wrapped themselves around the clubman's legs. Unable to stop, he barrelled into the branch like a trip wire and flew head over heals at Percy.

_A little to the left!_ Percy thought desperately, and just managed to roll the club into position and dive away before it knocked him out of his wits. The giants head collided with the bronze-capped tip with a sickening _crunch_! A second later he exploded into a shower of yellow powder and blew away in the gentle breeze. The massive club remained where it was; a spoil of war.

Apart from the sound of heavy breathing, the road was silent and empty.

"Annabeth!" Percy exclaimed suddenly. He sprinted around the tree to where she had landed, Jenna hot on his heels. His heart flooded with relief at what met his eyes; Grover was already there, helping a decidedly unsteady but definitely alive looking Annabeth to her feet. She had a shallow gash on her temple that was trickling blood down her face, and she was limping, but apart from that she was fine.

"Thank the God's" Percy murmured as he reached her side, putting his arm around her waist to help support her (even though she may not have needed it). She leaned against him in gratitude.

"I'm alright," she told them all. "I just have a headache." She looked a little uncertain as she added "What happened?" Percy, Jenna and Grover exchanged worried looks.

"She might have a concussion," Grover said anxiously. "Sit her down and keep talking to her; we'll get the bags out of the truck." They hurried off towards the road and Percy slowly eased Annabeth to the ground.

"Easy, easy. There you go," he kneeled in front of her and smiled, brushing some hair away from her face. "Feeling a little hazy?"

Annabeth looked back at him with a slightly dreamy expression. She reached out and brushed his cheek softly. "Such beautiful green eyes," she murmured happily. "Like the ocean…" Percy could speak because of the lump that had suddenly formed in his throat. But then Annabeth frowned and pulled her hand back to touch the cut on her forehead, breaking the spell.

"Fire! Fire!" Percy's head whipped around to see Grover and Jenna scrambling out of the truck, which was now billowing putrid black smoke. He could see the flames licking around from under the destroyed bonnet. They just managed to dive into the field when the truck exploded with enthusiasm, sending shrapnel flying everywhere and belching a dark mushroom of smoke into the air. _Poor Stu._ Percy dived at Annabeth, knocking her to the ground and covering her with his body until he was certain nothing would hurtle down and impale her. Then he crawled off her and helped her back up to a sitting position. Grover and Jenna stumbled back to his side.

"Well, I think that's more than enough excitement for one day," Jenna exclaimed, her cheeks flushed. Grover held out their packs to Percy.

"We couldn't get to yours in time, Percy. I hope you didn't have anything important in there."

Percy shook his head; he had Riptide in his pocket and the shield that Tyson had made him was strapped to his wrist as a watch. The rest didn't matter – the money and spare clothes might have come in handy though. Percy focused his attention on helping Annabeth.

They gave her a square of ambrosia and let her sip from a bottle of water. In a few minutes her eyes had cleared and she was grumbling that they were much too worried. She didn't seem to remember her little moment with Percy, which he found a little depressing – it had probably just been the concussion talking. "Im fine," she insisted, and she stood up and stretched as if to prove her point. Percy could see the tiredness around her eyes though, so he kept close to her side.

"So," she grinned half-heartedly. "I guess we're walking again."

"Stu said there's a town a few minutes from here," Percy said, checking his watch. "It's still only 2:30; we might be able to get a bus from there to Indianapolis if we hurry."

They shouldered their packs (Percy insisted on taking Annabeth's, despite her threats of violence) and set off around the tree. The club was still lying there were they had left it, its bronze spikes shining in the sun as if they had just been polished.

"That's right," said Annabeth. "Theseus hit Periphetes in the head with his own club to kill him."

"Oh yeah, I forgot. The club's a spoil of war now, Jenna; you should take it." Jenna's eyebrows flew up and she stared at him in surprise.

"But you killed it. And besides, how are we meant to lug that thing around? It's huge!"

"Nah, I'd be dead if you hadn't distracted it like that – nice work for your first real fight. It's yours. And I have a feeling we won't have to worry about the size…"

Jenna smiled at his praise and walked over to the club. She reached down and closed her hand around the leather grip. Instantly, the heavy club shrunk in size, until it was a short baton in Jenna's hand, made out of some kind of hard black material. Percy watched Jenna grin as she tested the weight in her hand; it seemed to fit well.

She rejoined the group and they set off down the deserted road; Percy couldn't help but wonder what would come next…

* * *

Im sure my readers are wondering the same thing, mwahahahahah!

(cough) Please review. Thanks.

StBu


	8. Chapter 8

"Percy. _Percy_. Wake up, we're there."

Percy was jolted into wakefulness by someone shaking his shoulder firmly. He tried to regain his senses back from the grogginess brought on by an extremely short but deep sleep, blinking in blurry confusion. Where was he again?

Grover was standing over him. He was lying on a bed? No, a seat. A bus seat. Not the most comfortable bus seat, either. It was the kind that basically consisted of a thin piece of plastic material stretched over some wood, and the plastic would stick to your skin when you sweated. He groaned and sat up (he had to peel his skin off the seat painfully), rubbing his eyes. His body felt weirdly drained of energy.

"Sleeping beauty is finally awake," Annabeth smirked at him; she was leaning down over the seat in front of him. Jenna peaked around the seat next to her, looking past Grover who was standing in the isle.

Percy's stomach growled loudly and he frowned down at it. "Sleeping beauty is hungry." He corrected peevishly, and then glanced out the window. His hope of finding a string of fast food joints was quickly squished. Just apartments. The light was starting to fail outside.

After they had dispatched the Clubman they had walked for about fifteen minutes before reaching the town: Louisville, Indiana. It was one of those small towns with one main road where everybody knows everybody else's business. They had kept their heads down and tried not to attract too much attention – people still looked at them with funny expressions. Surprisingly (based on Percy's experience of questing) they hit upon some luck: the only bus that ran an almost direct route to Indianapolis was sitting at the bus stop, its engine rumbling. It only ran the route once a week.

They bus ride had been a quiet affair. Percy remembered his eyes getting heavy and then falling shut. The last thing he saw was a blue highway 70 sign.

"Where are we?"

"Indianapolis," Grover offered vaguely.

"The bus driver said there's a youth hostel just around the corner from here," Jenna added more helpfully.

"As long as it has vending machines."

Percy slapped his cheeks to dispel the last vestiges of sleepiness from his system as they trooped off the coach. He was last off. He thanked the bus driver on his was out the door; the man leered at him with crooked teeth and reminded him to find the youth hostel. Percy hurried after the others – that driver had weirded him out.

But he hadn't been lying; just around the next corner was a heavy old door painted with bright colours. The words '_Di's Discount __Accommodation – travellers welcome'_ were splashed across it at eye level. Underneath them there was a picture of someone lying in a bed asleep with a happy smile on their face. In each corner of the door there was a small carving of a horse.

Percy looked at his friends; none of them seemed particularly interested in spending any more time outside – dusk was beginning to gather in earnest and the hard city surfaces seemed to be radiating cold. The place _looked_ safe enough, but a tiny seed of doubt still wriggled around in his stomach.

"Just stay alert," Percy advised quietly. Annabeth rolled her eyes at him and pushed the door open. A bell tingled as they walked into the hallway – the owner must use lots of air freshener because their nostrils were instantly assaulted with a pleasant citrus aroma. On their left was a small window with the words 'RECEPTION' printed above it. It was empty, but there was a 'Ring For Service' bell sitting on the counter.

Grover tapped it twice.

In the dead silence of the hall they could distinctly hear the sound of doors opening and closing, and the thumping of footsteps on carpet. A man appeared on the other side of the window – or at least a man's chest appeared, because the window was too low. He was obviously huge. But when he stooped down and poked his head out at them Percy couldn't help but be reassured; he had a friendly open face, was clean shaven and had a full head of deep brown, well maintained hair. He offered them a brilliant white smile. _Monster's never floss_, Percy thought happily.

"Good evening," he said in a pleasant deep baritone; he had one of those voices that people listened to instinctively. "How can I help you?"

"We'd like a room for the night, if you have any." Annabeth smiled that smile of hers, the one that made adults trust her and Percy's heart skip a beat.

"But of course – there is always room for travellers in my humble establishment." He placed one great saucer of a hand on his chest. "My name is Di." He pronounced it 'die'. Annabeth introduced everyone.

"A pleasure to make your acquaintance." And he didn't seem to be joking, either. His eyes sparkled gleefully. "It is not every day that I have the honour of hosting such fine youthful company. And four of you, as well. A merry number. I take it you are travelling budget?" He inclined his head toward the packs slung over their shoulders. "I have a dormitory room that will suit your needs to perfection; four beds and a bathroom, and its window allows a lovely view of the backyard."

Percy found himself nodding enthusiastically along with the others. Di made it sound so great.

"Excellent! I'll show you the way; we can take care of payment in the morning, if you have found the room satisfactory." He flashed them another smile and disappeared out of the frame, re-emerging a few moments later from a door further down the hall.

Now that they had a full view of Di, his massive height became apparent – he towered over them. But Percy didn't feel threatened. He led them down the hall, up a flight of stairs and around a corner, stopping in front of a plain door marked with the letter 'D'. He pulled a key chain out of his pocket and unlocked the door, pushing it wide and striding in.

The room was warm and cosy, the walls painted a neutral tan colour. The four beds were arranged as two singles and a bunk, evenly spaced along the left wall and separated by wooden bedside tables with lamps. The bedspreads and linen matched the walls. A wide window was set in the right-hand wall while at the far end of the room another door lead to what Percy presumed was the bathroom. All in all quite a comfortable little set up. The citrus smell was stronger in this room.

Di swept his arm around the room. "Make yourselves comfortable, please. Dinner is at 7 – a complementary meal." He handed Annabeth the key to the room and then strode out gracefully, shutting the door quietly behind him.

Grover dumped his bag on the floor and asked the room at large, "How long till seven? For some reason I really want an orange…"

* * *

Jenna felt full and content as she followed her friends back up the stairs to their room after dinner. The meal had been delicious, consisting of tender roast lamb, fried potatoes and steamed veggies followed by the richest chocolate cake Jenna had ever tasted for desert. Di had eaten with them and chatted away happily, telling hilarious anecdotes about his life as a hostel manager. He told them that he had horses, four beautiful mares. Someone asked where they were and he answered with a smile, "Why, they are stabled in the backyard; I must show them to you. But not now." 

Jenna saw Grover yawn hugely as he awkwardly climbed the ladder to the top bunk bed. She grinned. He had been jumping with excitement all night at the prospect of finally getting to sleep on a bunk bed. Apparently it was a lifelong dream of his. Annabeth looked pretty exhausted too as she stumbled around getting ready for bed. The only person who didn't look tired was Percy, but he had had that nanny nap on the bus.

Jenna could feel the fatigue in her body but her mind wouldn't slow down, wouldn't stop running over the events of the day, reliving them. The Pegasi, the storm, that ugly giant – it was all so incredibly exhilarating and terrifying at the same time. She reached over to her pack and pulled out the strange black club, again testing the weight in her hand. It fit, she decided. And it felt so much more powerful than it looked, like it was holding within it a reserve of potential energy or something. She couldn't wait to try it out in a fight.

Jenna looked around the room and saw that Grover and Annabeth were already tucked under their covers and breathing steadily. Annabeth had taken the bottom bunk. Only Percy was left awake. He was sitting on the furthest bed with his back to the wall, staring at a large round object he had laying across his lap. Curious, Jenna padded silently over to him for a closer look. It was a shield, she realised, its spiralling panels intricately decorated with different scenes in Ancient Greek style.

"My little brother made it for me," Percy told her, gesturing for her to sit. She slid onto the other end of the mattress and crossed her legs. "The pictures are of a quest we went on a few years back." His fingers softly traced the lines in one of the panels as he spoke; Jenna saw that it was a picture of three people fighting something with a lot of heads. One had one eye in the middle of his head and was holding a box of Monster Doughnuts. The other two were obviously Percy and Annabeth.

"How long have you liked her for?" Jenna felt sorry for the poor guy. He was clearly head over heels for Annabeth but couldn't do anything about it. Percy looked up at her quickly but didn't seem overly surprised at her words. He glanced over to where Annabeth's blanket rose and fell in time with her deep slow breaths. Checking that she was asleep. When he turned back to Jenna his eyes were sad.

"I don't know how long… it seems like ages," he answered quietly after a long pause. "She's, ah… she's really something." He leaned his head against the wall and left out a small sigh.

"You haven't told her, have you? Why not?"

Percy looked pained. "Our parents down get along – our immortal parents, I mean. They haven't for thousands of years. It even makes being friends difficult." He paused; Jenna could tell there was more. "It doesn't matter, anyway. She has feelings for… someone else. Someone who betrayed us."

"Luke?" Jenna murmured questioningly. _Who is this Luke?_

"He's put her through so much pain," Percy said, his green eyes suddenly blazing. He unconsciously reached up and tugged at a grey streak that ran though his hair near his temple. "Luke doesn't deserve Annabeth." The anger in his face subsided as quickly as it had flared up and was replaced by a look of resigned misery. "Annabeth and I… we're good friends. That's all I can ask." He said it like he was trying to convince himself.

* * *

This chapter was a bit of a filler - sorry guys.

I'll update when I can,

StBu


	9. Chapter 9

The room was dark. It was the kind of darkness that made everything seem to be made out of gas, like objects weren't solid but wavering and alive. But it wasn't oppressive.

Percy lay awake staring at the ceiling above his bed; Jenna had gone to sleep hours ago. He knew that he should get some rest but wasn't tired enough. Sleeping on the bus had been a bad idea.

He had opened the window a while back; the smell of the citrus air freshener was beginning to make him gag. It was like the cleaners had tried to cover up a bad smell with it.

As he lay there he thought about Annabeth, and his promise to himself that he would tell her how he felt. Travelling close quarters with a Satyr and your true love's new sister didn't exactly provide a lot of opportune moments for confessions of undying love, though. If he could just get a moment alone with her – preferably when they _weren't_ being attacked by monsters… the real question was, if he had the chance to tell her, would he have the guts to? And would she care?

An almost imperceptible thud came to his ears and he rolled over to face the door, his half-blood senses going into hyper drive. Were his ears playing tricks on him, or was that a footfall? He waited and listened, not even breathing. There. A slight jingling of metal against metal outside the door. Like a key chain. Percy swung his legs to the floor and tiptoed silently to the door, uncapping Riptide as he went. There was no time to wake the others; he would have to deal with the intruder himself. His heart rate sped up as he took up position next to the door, his back against the wall. He had the element of surprise – attack first, ask questions later.

Percy heard the lock click over quietly. The door swung open gradually on silent hinges, until it was perpendicular to the wall, hiding Percy behind it. Then it stopped. The intruder, whoever or whatever it was, seemed to be hesitating.

Too late, Percy noticed the glow from Riptides blade was shining on the floor, giving away his position. _Shit_, he thought stupidly, and then a huge black figure swung around the door and clobbered him over the head before he had time to even raise his blade. It was like being hit by a sledgehammer; his vision went black and he slid to the floor, unconscious.

* * *

Percy came to groggily – it seemed like that was happening a lot lately. He had a splitting headache, like a woodpecker was working away at the inside of his skull. Not good. He was leaning against a pole. _No_, he corrected himself. He was _tied_ to the pole. The coarse rope was cutting into his wrists like wire and he had lost feeling in his hands.

He swallowed painfully to try and moisten his parched throat. Apparently being the Son of the Sea God meant that you should keep well hydrated. He blinked at his surroundings, the piercing light stabbing into his retinas like hot needles. There was hay covering the floor, wooden stalls lining one wall. Thanks to Mr D., Percy knew a stable when he saw one. A random irrational part of his mind couldn't help but notice and admire how well maintained it was. _This_ stable would be a delight to clean…

"_Percy_!" A hiss from his right pulled his attention from admiring the paint job; it was Grover, looking at him with a worried expression from where he was lashed to another pole like Percy was. He had a bruise forming under one eye and a swollen bottom lip. Past him Percy could see Jenna and Annabeth, who were both suffering similar circumstances, both awake. His eyes raked over them quickly, looking for injuries; Annabeth was wincing slightly with each breath and Jenna had a cut on her neck.

"What happened? There was someone…" Percy tried to remember what had happened but it was all a blur. He gave up. Thinking too hard made his head pound.

"It's Di," Grover told him, his voice grim. "He jumped us while we were asleep, brought us down here and tied us up. I think he's a monster, Percy. I don't know where he is now."

"He's right behind you." The voice was cold and menacing, nothing at all like the Di Percy was used to hearing. A cold shiver ran down his spine – he suddenly realised that the smell of citrus was gone. Another stench chocked the air. The odour of rotting meat.

Di walked into his line of sight, his eyes glowing with a feral light. All pretence of the charming host was gone, replaced by an ancient savagery. Percy saw Annabeth's knife tucked into his belt. He leered at them. "A Satyr, a mortal and two demigods – one of them no less than a child of Poseidon. My beauties will be well pleased with their meal tonight." As if in response to his words, snorting and whinnying came from the stalls.

_Horses_! Percy thought triumphantly. If he could just reach them with his thoughts… Concentrating hard, he reached his mind towards the noises. _My name is Percy, S__on of Poseidon. I need your help!_

_Fresh meat_… the thoughts grated in his mind and he recoiled in horror as images of mutilated flash and split bone sprung into his thoughts unbidden. His stomach lurched and he felt sick; those weren't normal horses. They had to get out of there, and fast.

* * *

The skin on Annabeth's wrists chafed and bled from her wriggling, but she kept twisting and pulling at her rope bonds. She hand one hand half way out already. Just another minute… She shuddered involuntarily as Di let out a sinister chuckle. He was leering down at Percy.

"No no no, little half-blood; my beauties will not answer to _you_. They obey only one master."

As she worked Annabeth's mind was running a million miles an hour: Di, four horses – suddenly it clicked; it was Diomedes, the giant King of Thrace! One of the Labours of Heracles was to steal The Mares of Diomedes, his four _man-eating horses_… Annabeth swallowed nervously and eyed the stables. That's not good. She winced as she breathed in too deeply – she had not gone down to Diomedes without a fight, and she suspected she had some bruised ribs to show for it.

Diomedes was still speaking.

"I usually cut my guests throats before I let my beauties have their meal, but for hero's… well, it's entertaining, to say the least. But alas, I am already disappointed; I expected much more of a challenge from a child of one of the three elder God's…" He swung around, and for a terrifying second Annabeth was sure he had discovered her. But he was frowning evilly at Jenna instead. "Too bad your mortal flesh will spoil the taste!"

_Mortal?__ Why did he keep saying that – Jenna's a half-blood…__no time for that now, though – Yes! _Annabeth thought triumphantly, pulling her left hand free. Her other hand quickly followed, but she kept her hands together behind the pole. They would only have one chance for her plan…

The noises coming from the horse stall's increased in volume and a slow cruel smile spread over Diomedes face. How she had ever found a man with such twisted features likable Annabeth couldn't understand. "Ah, well, it seems it is time for me to bid you adieu. Alas, I have enjoyed your company." He laughed pitilessly at his own joke, then turned his back to his captives and walked towards the stables to unleash his monstrous mounts.

That was what Annabeth had been waiting for. She ignored the pain in her chest and sprung into action. As quickly and silently as a thought she stepped away from the pole, grabbed up a metal pitchfork that was leaning against the stable wall and stabbed it with all her might into Diomedes thigh. She was rewarded by the feeling of metal grating on bone. Diomedes howled in pain.

"Scare the horses, Percy!" Annabeth screamed as she dived backwards to avoid the giants huge fists. The farming tool was still sticking awkwardly from his leg, the wound beginning to spurt blood at an alarming rate; the femoral artery, Annabeth guessed with triumph. But Diomedes was _not_ a happy camper. He ripped the makeshift weapon from his leg viciously (never remove a protruding object from the wound, said Annabeth's little first aid voice), and growled as he stalked towards her.

Then the stall gates boomed open with an almighty _crash_! and four extremely wild and vicious looking horses jumped out. They were black, like Blackjack only a more sinister red-tinged shade, had crazy red eyes and were frothing at the mouth. Annabeth saw Diomedes eyes widen as he forgot her and turned to his carnivorous pets.

"My beauties-" he began weakly, but never finished his sentence because the horses attacked. Annabeth's plan had worked; they had smelled Diomedes blood and were too crazed to realise it was their faithful owner. She scrambled to her feet and tried to ignore his screams of agony ("NOOOOO!!!! NOT AGAIN!!!!!!") as she ran to Percy and pulled Riptide out of his pocket. She quickly slashed through her friends bonds and ran to the stable door – they had to get out before the horses noticed them.

As Jenna lurched through the wooden door Annabeth slammed it closed and replaced the flimsy looking latch. They ran through the darkness of the backyard towards the backdoor that Diomedes had brought them down through, and stumbled over the threshold. Grover locked it.

Suddenly, the screaming stopped. Heavy breathing was all that cut the quiet of the thin hallway they stood in.

"That was a close one,' Percy said shakily. "Those horses…" He shuddered in memory; Annabeth wondered what it must have been like in their minds. She was glad she would never find out.

The group started down the hallway, making their way back to their room.

"Who _was_ he? If he was a monster, why couldn't Grover smell him?" Jenna was pale but seemed to be holding out well, Annabeth observed appreciatively. Something jumped into her mind, something Diomedes had said.

"His name wasn't Di, but Diomedes, the giant King of Thrace. He fed his horses the bodies of his enemies during war and guests during peace. In the end, Heracles fed _him_ to his own pets. He thought you were mortal." Annabeth directed the last at Jenna. "Why? You've been claimed; he should have smelled you…" Everyone was looking at Jenna now. She squirmed under the attention.

"Come to think of it, how _did_ you make it to sixteen without being found?" Percy frowned in confusion. "Half-bloods usually only make it to eleven or twelve without help…" Annabeth nodded in agreement; something weird was going on.

"I- I don't know…" Jenna stammered. Annabeth studied her intently but only saw uncertainty in her features – she wasn't lying to them.

"Maybe you have some kind of protection; a talisman, maybe. Or a charm?" Jenna shrugged and shook her head, but then her eyes widened and her hand flew to her neck. She tugged out a necklace – it was a thin metal chain with a simple silver pendant of what looked like a lady bug.

"Maybe this? My Dad gave it to me when I started school. He said not to take it off, that it would protect me against bullies…" She trailed off, her cheeks glowing in embarrassment. Annabeth stepped closer to examine the pendant. It was a beautiful piece, intricate in its tiny detail. It wasn't a lady bug…

"It's a scarab beetle," she announced to everyone. "People used to wear them for protection against evil. Maybe it cloaks you – that's handy… but how did Chiron find you if you were wearing this?"

Jenna's confusion cleared in realisation and she nodded. "The week before Grover found me, someone pinched it from me while I was asleep – it was a stupid practical joke by some of the other girls at my boarding school. I got it back just before I left – I felt weird not wearing it."

Annabeth couldn't help but feel slightly envious – Jenna had had a chance that many half-bloods would kill for. A chance to have a normal life, without being in constant danger from monsters attacking. What's more, the necklace must have been a gift from Athena. Why had she chosen to give a gift that precious to _Jenna_? She threw off her jealousy (it seemed like she spent alot of time feeling jealous of Jenna) and concentrated on finding the first aid kit in her bag. She needed antiseptic, bandaids and ambrosia; the chafing on her wrists stung in the cold night air and there was a stabbing pain in her chest whenever she moved.

"That smell!" Percy groaned as he flopped down on the bed next to where Grover was repacking his bag; he must be talking about the citrus air freshener. "It's so strong its singeing my nostril hairs!"

"That's why I couldn't smell him!" Grover smacked his head stupidly. "The citrus was masking his scent!"

"Sneaky," Annabeth agreed grudgingly – she liked monsters much better when they had trouble with their left and right. Which, happily, most monsters did.

As she dabbed antiseptic cream on her wrists, Annabeth had the growing suspicion she was forgetting something, missing something. She ran through a mental checklist; _Percy, Jenna, Grover, bag, invisibility cap, knife- KNIFE!_ "Shit," she swore out loud and stood up, making for the door. "Diomedes had my knife – it's still in the stables."

"Whoa." Percy infuriatingly blocked her path. "You can't go back in there, it's too dangerous. You have to leave it." He said it gently but firmly.

"_Hell_ no," Annabeth argued; _who the hell does he think he is?_ "I've had that knife since I started at camp. I'm not leaving it."

"Annabeth-"

"_Move, Percy_!"

"No!" Annabeth stomped angrily and tried to sidestep around him but he caught her arm and pulled her back. Pain shot through her side and she cried out involuntarily, clutching her ribs. Percy instantly looked concerned and guided her to the nearest bed, forcing her to sit down.

"You're hurt!" He accused, his hand hovering at her side. "You can't fight four evil man-eating horses like this. Just let it go – I'll ask Tyson to make you a new knife, just like the other one. Please?" His eyes pleaded with her. Annabeth hated to admit it, but Percy was right. It was too dangerous to go back for it. _But__its__ seen__ me through so much, __through __so many battles…_ She sighed unhappily and nodded, her flaring anger dissipating. She would definitely miss its comforting weight in her hand, though.

Annabeth stared mournfully over at the open window, saying her last farewells to an old friend.

* * *

Sorry about the wait on this chapter, people. I've had the week from hell… anyway, I do hope it was worth the wait. Next chapter will be soon!

Keep up the reviews!

Cheers,

StBu


	10. Chapter 10

Guess who's back, back, back

Back again, gain, gain

StBu's back, back, back

Tell some men, men, men

Hello again my little cherubs 

I am finally getting around to finishing this story, I am very sorry it took me so long.

So here is the next installment, many more to come. Thank you for all your reviews.

StBu

* * *

Grover sat on his precious bunk bed, munching through the last of his supply of empty coke cans; he was nothing if not a comfort eater, and their encounter with the smooth talking giant made his leg fur bristle. Dumb brutes he could handle – he had been betrothed to a Cyclops for a few weeks, after all – but sneaky monsters just didn't tickle his fancy. He crunched through the last piece mournfully; only after it had disappeared into his black hole of a stomach did he notice that Jenna was climbing up to sit next to him, grinning like a maniac.

She dangled her legs over the edge and nudged him in the ribs, inclining her head towards the other end of the room where Percy and Annabeth had been bickering for the last ten minutes. Grover rolled his eyes and nodded tiredly; dinner and a show.

"Get away! I can do it myself, Percy!!!" Annabeth flicked him in the ear and he yelped.

"OUCH ANNABETH!! Don't do that!! I'm only trying to help! Geeze!!" Percy jumped away from her and rubbed his ear resentfully. He bundled up the bandage he had been attempting to fashion into a sling for Annabeth and pegged it at her head. She caught it out of the air and glared daggers at him as she tried for the eighth time to tie her own sling.

The conversation had gone around in circles like this and Grover couldn't see either one of them giving in willingly; Annabeth obviously couldn't tie the bandage properly on herself (much less with broken ribs), and every time Percy seemed to give up Annabeth would twist just that little bit too far, showing even the smallest sign of pain, and he would jump straight back into the melee. Grover had never met a pair as pigheaded as those two, and he had grown up with _satyrs_.

Percy stalked over to the bathroom and kicked the doorframe in frustration. Grover was reminded of an eleven year old Percy as he crossed his arms and immaturely glared at Annabeth across the room. He didn't last long though; Grover silently counted the seconds before he shoved off the wall and strode back over to grab the bandage from a furious Annabeth.

"Percy! You can't do it properly; give it back!"

"I can't do it properly because u won't _show me_ how to do it properly!!"

"That's because I can do it myself!"

"NO, YOU, CAN'T!"

_But I can,_ Grover thought to himself tiredly. He had half a mind to put a stop to the quarrel now, but he knew that Jenna would kill him, and besides, it was taking his mind off visions of flesh-eating equines. So he settled back and wished for a box of popcorn (literally, a cardboard popcorn box).

Now Percy and Annabeth were grappling over the bandage (_poor piece of cloth_, Grover thought sympathetically). Somehow, Percy ended up with it tangled around his head and shoulders. He twisted around like he was having a fit in an attempt untangle himself. Annabeth started giggling, hugging her chest to prevent moving too much.

When he finally freed himself Percy glared at her red-faced for a few seconds before a sheepish grin formed on his face. Grover knew Percy couldn't help himself; the sudden rush of emotion Grover sensed when Annabeth smiled at him was not something easily ignored. He sat down on the ground and leant his back against her bed, playfully tossing the bandage at her again. She grinned and mussed up his hair.

"You're an idiot."

"Shut up, nerd burger."

They sat there for a minute, Grover and Jenna watching in fascination from their box seats. All they could see was the back of Percy and Annabeth's heads but Grover could almost see the thoughts screaming to be freed from both their heads. _Say it,_ he urged silently. _Just say it…_

"We really should get moving," Percy broke the silence. _Damn_. "Just show me how to do it so we can get out of this place," he pleaded.

"Shows over," Grover sighed softly to Jenna, who was radiating disappointment.

* * *

Annabeth flexed her arm muscles; she hated having her arm bound up like this, it made her feel so unprotected, so vulnerable – and Annabeth Chase didn't do vulnerable. Experience had taught her she needed to be ready for anything, at anytime. At least it was her left hand so she could still use her knife… _if I still had my knife_… the thought grated at her mind. She should have knocked Percy out cold and gone back for it – screw the man-eating horses. But it was too late now. She promised herself that she would go back for it, one day.

The four of them were walking through the streets of Indianapolis in the early morning light. They had left _Di's Discount Accommodation_ as soon as they were able; Grover had breathed deeply of the outside air and bleated his happiness for the absence of the citrus scent.

Annabeth was striding out ahead of the others, keen to get to the railway station and be on their way. She glanced back to find Percy talking and laughing with Jenna, while Grover stared longing at a shopping trolley full of cans that a homeless man was pushing past him. The bum hunched further over the handlebars and glowered at them. Percy started spinning around crazily to illustrate the story he was telling and Jenna doubled over laughing, but then saw Annabeth looking and straightened guiltily. Annabeth hastily spun forward, feeling her face heat up. _You're being stupid,_ she scolded herself. _Concentrate on the quest; concentrate on keeping Percy alive. What did she look so guilty for anyway; she was just talking, wasn't she? No harm in her getting to know Percy – is there…? _She shook the thoughts from her head angrily and focused her attention on the tourist map they had filched from the hostel (along with a large stash of drachmas, U.S currency, and a few bottles of citrus air freshener – Grover figured that if it worked for monsters then it would work for them).

The train station was about 40 minutes walk from the hostel, a walk that would take them through Monument Circle. The city was beginning to wake up around them as they wandered off Market Street and onto the circular esplanade. Quick footsteps behind her told her she was about to have some company.

"This place is supposed to be beautiful at night, with all the lights on," Jenna remarked casually.

_Am I that transparent?_ Annabeth thought mournfully – Jenna was obviously going to say something to her about Percy. If she was that obvious then how did Percy not know? _God's please tell me he doesn't know…_? Suddenly she was completely pissed off – pissed at Percy for not caring about her and flirting with a girl he just met two days ago (and her sister no less!), pissed at Jenna and Grover and the rest of the world for constantly telling her how to handle her emotions (and for all those damn pitying looks), pissed off at herself for being so shockingly spineless.

"I've seen photo's – its completely tacky," she replied acidly and lengthened her stride, leaving Jenna trailing in her wake.

* * *

Percy watched worriedly as Jenna walked back to them looking confused and slightly hurt. Annabeth had been sulking by herself since they had left that morning and Jenna had nominated herself to see what was wrong.

"I think she's angry with me," Jenna sighed when she reached them.

"No, its not you. She's probably just angry about her knife… Seriously, don't worry about it," Percy assured her. Grover rolled his eyes at Jenna behind his back.

"Yeah," he said only slightly sarcastically. "Definitely the knife."

"Actually, I might be able to help with that," Percy said, a little embarrassed. "I sort of had Tyson forge her a knife a couple of months ago, um… it was going to be a birthday present… he's been holding it for me in the forges…"

Jenna beamed at him, which he found a little odd. _Why would she be so happy about Annabeth getting a present?_ "That's great!" she said happily. "Who is Tyson?"

"Percy's brother. He's a Cyclops – they're born blacksmiths," Grover explained.

"Cyclops!? Your brother's a Cyclops?"

"Yeah- well, half-brother anyway."

"Wow. They really exist? Aren't they dangerous?"

"Um, Tyson's more like a big teddy bear than a giant killing machine," Percy told her.

"If you say so." Unconvinced.

"Maybe you should iris message him, get him to messenger it too us. _Soon_," Grover suggested. Percy nodded and accepted the drachma Grover offered him, wandering over to a bubbler to make the call. He turned the water on and pressed his thumb over the nozzle, sending it spraying out over the pavement. There wasn't much mist, but it would probably work, Percy decided.

It only took a few minutes, and Tyson's beaming face immediately raised Percy's spirits. He promised to send it to them straight away.

"Annabeth?" Tyson asked excitedly, crazing his neck around in an attempt to see around Percy. "Tyson see Annabeth?"

"Ah, sorry pal, Annabeth's… busy…" Tyson's face fell, his massive bottom lip pouting out. "But I'm sure she's going to love the knife – I'll get her to call you when she gets it."

"Percy's idea, Percy's present. Tyson only make it," Tyson said firmly. "For Annabeth, love Percy." He gave a cyclopsian version of a wink, which pretty much looked like an exaggerated blink, and beamed through the mist.

Percy couldn't help but laugh. "Yeah, okay, well… I'll get her to call you when she's not busy – just for a chat," he promised. Tyson's lopsided grin grew impossibly wide, showing all of his crooked yellowing teeth.

When Percy said his goodbyes and looked around for the other three he found himself alone. Scanning the Circle he made out three forms about to disappear into a side street. One of them turned around and waved at him, then kept walking, shuffling slightly. _Grover_, Percy thought. _Nice of them to wait_. He started jogging to catch up to them as they rounded the corner and vanished from Monument Circle.

_I'll tell her how I feel when I give her the knife_, Percy decided as he loped along easily, mentally rehearsing the words he would say just as he had a million times before. At least it will give me an excuse to ask Grover and Jenna for a little alone time with her; not that either of them would ask for an excuse, he knew. If he left it too long they would probably start taking matters into their own hands; the thought made him shudder and chuckle at the same time.

And so when Percy turned the corner into the side street, his head in the clouds, the last thing he was expecting was to be blindsided by what he suspected must have been a solid metal pipe. The last this he saw as his vision went black was Annabeth's smiling face swimming above him.

* * *

Okay, that was it; sorry if it was slightly disappointing or boring or anything – I'm still trying to get my head back into the story. Just give me time 

I'll update again as soon as I can – please review and tell me what you think, does it still feel the same? Also, I am currently without my books so am unable to check certain details, which is really pissing me off some. Sorry bout that, ill do the best I can.

Cheers, StBu


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